Welcome to Cape Breton Island, 1992! The Cold War no longer looms over the world, lifting a heavy burden from the minds of people everywhere. The sounds of Nirvana and Sir Mix-a-Lot can be heard on the streets, leaking through the storefronts of locally owned electronics stores and in the headphones of portable CD players stuffed into oversized pockets of denim jackets.
Cape Breton Island has long sat atop one of a global handful of overlaps between our world and the Fae's. In addition, those whose families have lived in spots like these for generations have small amounts of magical potential in them. Bubbles of the space-in-between appear, shift, and disappear throughout the land. In these places, for those times, human and faerie coexist as they walk through the streets together, each marveled by the sights of the other’s world. To the world at large, knowledge of this location's true nature are cryptid folklore to some, and common knowledge to others.
And rarely, when a human and faerie lose themselves in the marvel of each other’s worlds, they share a night together. Nine months later, a child is born, and that child brings magic from their parent into our world.
Governance
Government Presence – 4
Cape Breton Island is home to the Cape Breton Highlanders. This Battalion has been around since 1871, as part of The Victoria Provisional Battalion of Infantry. Descendants of the Scots filled the ranks. Their headquarters are located in Sydney, Nova Scotia, which is a small town in Cape Breton. They are a very proud group, with a motto of “Breed of manly men”. Their presence remains strong in Cape Breton, with their 26 battle honours. The nearby military base in Halifax, is the largest in Canada and also attributes to some of the constant military presence.
Municipal law governs interactions with the fae. While it is next to impossible to bind the fae to any form of due process, crimes against the fae are tried equally to crimes against humans, and while they share the same minimum sentence between races, bias often leads the final verdict to be harsher against human-on-fae crimes.
Rule of Law – 3
The rule of law is a delicate balancing act on Cape Breton Island. The fae have influenced many facets of life, but are not bound by the laws of man. Local law enforcement do not worry about the fae unless they specifically harm humankind, but the Nova Scotian police as a whole are a different story. Additionally, while the Cape Breton Highlanders are ordered by national forces to treat the fae as invaders, they take care to avoid such encounters in the first place. However, the nearby military base in Halifax dedicates naval resources to patrolling the seas around the island, ensuring the fae do not spread past its boundaries; they remain unconvinced that the fae won’t try to spread across Canada, despite centuries of contrary evidence.
Social Services – 1
On this pre-internet island in the easternmost part of the country, social services are essentially nonexistent. The area simply does not have the resources to support such programs, and projects started by Nova Scotia or Canada as a whole go towards larger cities where they can reach more people. Schools are detrimentally underfunded, to the point where several families consider the tradeoffs of homeschooling, and many households draw water from personal wells rather than municipal water systems. The people of the port city Sydney have access to some benefits like a bus system, but on the whole this island is on its own. Such a situation has fostered an environment where there are many family-owned business that would simply be unnecessary in urban areas.
Economics
Economic Strength – 4
Cape Breton Island is a major economic centre with a large amount of government services and private sector companies. Agriculture, fishing, mining, and natural gas extraction are major resource industries found in the rural areas. Cape Breton Island also thrives on trade from its seaport region. Its largest source of income relies on the large coal mines in the area. The Sydney Coal Field and the Inverness Coal Field are the largest employment areas for most locals. Small businesses have also branched out to manufacturing ventures in fields such as auto parts, pharmaceuticals, and window glazings. As the use of coal begins to fall, individuals start to find themselves out of work, but on the whole the industry remains strong.
Wealth Distribution – 1↑
As Cape Breton Island has primarily earned money from coal mining, the recent surge of environmental efforts have left many locals out of work. While the money continues to flow into the island, most of it ends up in the hands of high-brow business men and families of old money, or those running the major resource companies. Nearly everyone outside of these three major families are firmly stuck in lower-middle to middle class; with an upper class, or even upper-middle, nonexistent. The impoverished tend to keep to themselves and live off of the land, with no social services to help them with even the most basic of necessities. If you are wondering the woods, or even the streets of Sidney, you are about as likely to see a member of the fae as you are one of these unfortunate souls.
However, it is becoming easier and easier to set up a business with increased access to technology, and we have not yet reached an era of ubiquitous monopolies. As such, family businesses are taking hold, and the wealth is beginning to flow more freely. There is still a long way to go, but it’s a start.
Agriculture and Trade – 4
The towns factory recently moved elsewhere after investors got spooked by the heavy hand Fae seemed to have over the area. This means most people have been finding work in humanities and agriculture. There is also a lot of fisherman in the area. There is an interest in logging and forestry but fear of how the fae and old families would react has kept anyone from attempting any major deforestation. Since most people are hovering in the middle class money circulates a lot and it is easy to find whatever the hot new toy or tech is in stores it really just comes down to whether you have the extra cash this month or not. Some people will offer up magical services in order to make some extra cash here and there. There are postings all over the city of people trying to rapidly grow plants to add to curb appeal or talk to the animals that may be pests keeping you awake at night.
Cape Breton Island also has a large connection to trade through its access to the ocean. Ships from other areas are available for trade, and Cape Breton specializes in its surplus of coal. The agriculture sustains its people with large areas of forestry and land for growing food. Although the soil conditions are primarily unfavorable with the maritime climate, the fae are able to provide support with any major crop failure.
Social Relations
Race – 2↑
Cape Breton Island has the unique characteristic of having a mix of fae and human interacting on the island. There is a fascinated wariness that drives the humans interest in the different fae races, and the humans haven’t quite figured out what draws the fae to them. There are some fae that are more appreciated than others by the humans, but there is a general amount of respect for all fae to prevent slighting them and bringing about their wrath. Within the human races, cape Breton has a majority white population, but being an island near the sea port of Halifax, more diversity is coming in. Racial animosity still exists in some people, but on their island with a gate to another realm, the humans try not to alienate their fellow man.
Class – 3
The most tension on the island comes from the old magic families holding power and control over the other citizens. They act as an aristocracy, and within their bloodline lies some of the first magic gained from fae/human interactions. Each family has a type of magic they specialize in, and types of fae they primarily associate with to keep their lines pure. Outside of the aristocracy, the old families discourage relationships with fae because they are worried of more powerful half-fae being born and taking their power over the island. Most people on the island have some magic, but depending on when the fae comes in on their family tree, it can only be very small gifts. This maintains a sense of awe to the old magic families who have some more powerful gifts. There are of course non-aristocrats with powerful gifts, and there is more strife between them and the old families because they don’t want to be ruled by the aristocracy.
Gender – 5↑
On this small island, any gender issues or unequal treatment have been wiped away by the equal distribution of magic between genders. The magic has shown no proclivity towards a specific gender with power distribution, leaving no special treatment given by gender. The camaraderie needed between the humans and fae have also led these practices to merge. As do the small social-networks and close cooperation necessary to thrive on the island, that has eliminated the possibility of a single gender dominating the society. Half-fae offspring do not tend towards one gender, and they tend to present with more androgyny and gender fluidity as is normal for fae. Younger adults of the period are experimenting with blurred gender lines of grunge fashion. Fae are drawn to these young people expressing androgyny, helping to influence the increasing amount of fae interacting in the human realm. This is much to the dismay of the older people, especially the old magic families who want to contain the spread of magic in the island. There are also different types of fae (in addition to the ones of old), and different magic, interacting with the human realm in this time period and bringing in new types of magic and half-fae.
Sexual Orientation – 2
Since the fae intermingle so closely into the human realm within the island, sexual orientation is rather grey. Fae don’t follow traditional (human) gender and sexual orientation ideas. To maintain the power of the old families, new relationships with fae are frowned upon. The old families do not want to lose their power, and since their magic is fading (or since they want to maintain their power coming from intermingling with specific fae), they don’t want just anyone having relationships with fae, bringing more powerful children into the community.
Cultural Influences
Military – 5
Cape Breton Island is just north of Halifax. Halifax houses Canada’s largest military base. The Canadian Forces Base Halifax is the home of the country’s Atlantic navy, the Maritime Forces Atlantic. The canadian military and the fae-blood have a dirty past. In the 40s, the military attempted to weaponize the magic bloodlines of the islanders. They abducted people to experiment on and learn the source of their magic. They eventually realized the futility of such experiments as the magic dwindled away even as near as the naval base, due to the source of magic being on the island, and passing through the barrier lessons its influence. The Halifax base’s proximity to Cape Breton Island and the Ley Lines causes and uneasiness amongst the people of Cape Breton Island and they are constantly wary of how close they are.
Religious – 2 trending
The areas around Cape Breton Island are mainly Christian, including the spread of Catholicism in Halifax. But on the island, with its mix of traditional lore, natural environment, and the magic of the fae realm closely interwoven with its human counterpart, Christianity didn’t quite fit. With culture influences from the Scottish, Irish, Indigenous (Mi'kmaq), French, Eastern European, and Italian, Cape Breton Island contains an alternate spirituality. It utilizes superstition and traditional magical/witchcraft/wiccan practices, fae ceremonies, etc. The fae are not worshipped like deities, but there is an enormous foundation of respect maintained to keep the peace. (If we have any mentions of fae like Titania and Oberon, or a different hierarchy within the fae on the island, like in the fairy gifts story that would be mentioned here). Children are taught correct practices, like how to name themselves and other fae to prevent being taken advantage of or angering the fae.
Technology – 3
Though technology continues to improve, its role in the lives on Cape Breton has stagnated for some time. The personal computer has already risen to where many households own one. However, it will be several years before the tech-boom of the late 90s, and the internet of the contemporary age has not yet come to be. Nintendo recently released the Super Nintendo Entertainment System which has captivated the attention of kids and adults throughout the city. Twenty-somethings have access to better tools for making software and have been learning from library books how to write code; some have the passing interest of writing simple text games, others are far more serious and potentially even malicious.
The 20th century started to give recognition to Cape Breton Island for their various scientific achievements, such as the invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell, who lives just outside of Sydney, on Cape Breton Island. Bell also created the iron lung and worked with Helen Keller on this island. Guglielmo Marconi’s inventions also began to give Cape Breton praise, for his work in Glace Bay led to the first trans-Atlantic radio message. Although these inventions occured much earlier in the century, Cape Breton’s recognition for the breakthroughs occurred years later.
Fascination with technology leaves the fae confused, as they are used to avoiding human technology and their favoritism to corrosive iron. But with steel and plastic having been in place for some time now, fae realize technology is more accessible, and are developing their own fascination with human technology. They are often mystified beyond any comprehension, but some are enthusiastic all the same.
Arts & Culture – 3↑
Music is shifting on Cape Breton Island and the rest of art seems to be following. With punk and grunge rock taking hold throughout western culture, the fae have become mystified and intrigued. The area has a history of Gaelic and Scottish music; this fascination with rock and roll is a surprise to not just the fae, but the older members of the community as well. Older record stores have jumped onto the trends, and both CDs and cassettes are flying off the shelves into the hands of the younger generations. With the Walkman and portable CD players now commonplace, music has never been more influential.
Traditional instruments and songs are taught throughout the island. The fae love this music, and human culture wishes to uphold these values they share between races. Parents take pride in teaching their children instruments like the fiddle, flute, bagpipes, and more. Many kids and young adults who take music seriously have begun looking at modern instruments like the electric guitar and drum kits, and bands are cropping up to play at local bars and shops. The mixing of new rock and grunge trends with traditional melodies and instruments, and celtic rock has begun to form on this island.
Outside of music, a Celtic revival in the 1980s in Ireland made it to Cape Breton in the late 80s. Citizens experiment with the style to modernize it with the traditional decorations and aesthetics of the island. The island also values painting and embroidery, and some experiment with weaving their magic into their art.
Magic – 2
Magic on Cape Breton Island is hereditary and grows fainter away from the central lake, to the point where it does not work once you leave the island. Exposure to the land over time gives an affinity for for magic that passes on to one’s children; one can begin to feel the power around them. After several generations of exposure, people begin to manifest a simple power such as night-vision or minor telekinesis.
Because of this, magic affinity is a good indicator of a family’s presence and history on the island. However, this is not always the case. When a human and fae have a child, that child’s connection to the magic of the island is unrivaled. Such a child can call upon many types of magic, ones more powerful than the natural forms humans can build up. With this fae magic, however, comes the fae hatred of iron. However, these beings are unable to pass on this level of magic to their children. The affinity of the family line dwindles fast, going back to normal levels after a couple generations, and with it their weakness to iron.
There are those on the island who would seek to gain such powerful magic for their children, whether for greed or malice, but the fae in their ever-mysterious ways can see into the hearts of such men and women, and do not allow them the opportunity for such a gift. Rather, they interact with those of more honorable intentions and stronger will. It is not often they are wrong about such things. At the end of the day, with some form of magic all over the place, having it is not a big deal. While many islanders see the fae-born as blessed, those with such powers are not always outspoken about them. Much like someone born into riches, they don’t necessarily want to second guess whether people are around them for the power or for who they are.
Welcome to Cape Breton Island, 1992! The Cold War no longer looms over the world, lifting a heavy burden from the minds of people everywhere. The sounds of Nirvana and Sir Mix-a-Lot can be heard on the streets, leaking through the storefronts of locally owned electronics stores and in the headphones of portable CD players stuffed into oversized pockets of denim jackets.
Cape Breton Island has long sat atop one of a global handful of overlaps between our world and the Fae's. In addition, those whose families have lived in spots like these for generations have small amounts of magical potential in them. Bubbles of the space-in-between appear, shift, and disappear throughout the land. In these places, for those times, human and faerie coexist as they walk through the streets together, each marveled by the sights of the other’s world. To the world at large, knowledge of this location's true nature are cryptid folklore to some, and common knowledge to others.
And rarely, when a human and faerie lose themselves in the marvel of each other’s worlds, they share a night together. Nine months later, a child is born, and that child brings magic from their parent into our world.
Governance
Government Presence – 4
Cape Breton Island is home to the Cape Breton Highlanders. This Battalion has been around since 1871, as part of The Victoria Provisional Battalion of Infantry. Descendants of the Scots filled the ranks. Their headquarters are located in Sydney, Nova Scotia, which is a small town in Cape Breton. They are a very proud group, with a motto of “Breed of manly men”. Their presence remains strong in Cape Breton, with their 26 battle honours. The nearby military base in Halifax, is the largest in Canada and also attributes to some of the constant military presence.Municipal law governs interactions with the fae. While it is next to impossible to bind the fae to any form of due process, crimes against the fae are tried equally to crimes against humans, and while they share the same minimum sentence between races, bias often leads the final verdict to be harsher against human-on-fae crimes.
Rule of Law – 3
The rule of law is a delicate balancing act on Cape Breton Island. The fae have influenced many facets of life, but are not bound by the laws of man. Local law enforcement do not worry about the fae unless they specifically harm humankind, but the Nova Scotian police as a whole are a different story. Additionally, while the Cape Breton Highlanders are ordered by national forces to treat the fae as invaders, they take care to avoid such encounters in the first place. However, the nearby military base in Halifax dedicates naval resources to patrolling the seas around the island, ensuring the fae do not spread past its boundaries; they remain unconvinced that the fae won’t try to spread across Canada, despite centuries of contrary evidence.Social Services – 1
On this pre-internet island in the easternmost part of the country, social services are essentially nonexistent. The area simply does not have the resources to support such programs, and projects started by Nova Scotia or Canada as a whole go towards larger cities where they can reach more people. Schools are detrimentally underfunded, to the point where several families consider the tradeoffs of homeschooling, and many households draw water from personal wells rather than municipal water systems. The people of the port city Sydney have access to some benefits like a bus system, but on the whole this island is on its own. Such a situation has fostered an environment where there are many family-owned business that would simply be unnecessary in urban areas.Economics
Economic Strength – 4
Cape Breton Island is a major economic centre with a large amount of government services and private sector companies. Agriculture, fishing, mining, and natural gas extraction are major resource industries found in the rural areas. Cape Breton Island also thrives on trade from its seaport region. Its largest source of income relies on the large coal mines in the area. The Sydney Coal Field and the Inverness Coal Field are the largest employment areas for most locals. Small businesses have also branched out to manufacturing ventures in fields such as auto parts, pharmaceuticals, and window glazings. As the use of coal begins to fall, individuals start to find themselves out of work, but on the whole the industry remains strong.Wealth Distribution – 1↑
As Cape Breton Island has primarily earned money from coal mining, the recent surge of environmental efforts have left many locals out of work. While the money continues to flow into the island, most of it ends up in the hands of high-brow business men and families of old money, or those running the major resource companies. Nearly everyone outside of these three major families are firmly stuck in lower-middle to middle class; with an upper class, or even upper-middle, nonexistent. The impoverished tend to keep to themselves and live off of the land, with no social services to help them with even the most basic of necessities. If you are wondering the woods, or even the streets of Sidney, you are about as likely to see a member of the fae as you are one of these unfortunate souls.However, it is becoming easier and easier to set up a business with increased access to technology, and we have not yet reached an era of ubiquitous monopolies. As such, family businesses are taking hold, and the wealth is beginning to flow more freely. There is still a long way to go, but it’s a start.
Agriculture and Trade – 4
The towns factory recently moved elsewhere after investors got spooked by the heavy hand Fae seemed to have over the area. This means most people have been finding work in humanities and agriculture. There is also a lot of fisherman in the area. There is an interest in logging and forestry but fear of how the fae and old families would react has kept anyone from attempting any major deforestation. Since most people are hovering in the middle class money circulates a lot and it is easy to find whatever the hot new toy or tech is in stores it really just comes down to whether you have the extra cash this month or not. Some people will offer up magical services in order to make some extra cash here and there. There are postings all over the city of people trying to rapidly grow plants to add to curb appeal or talk to the animals that may be pests keeping you awake at night.Cape Breton Island also has a large connection to trade through its access to the ocean. Ships from other areas are available for trade, and Cape Breton specializes in its surplus of coal. The agriculture sustains its people with large areas of forestry and land for growing food. Although the soil conditions are primarily unfavorable with the maritime climate, the fae are able to provide support with any major crop failure.
Social Relations
Race – 2↑
Cape Breton Island has the unique characteristic of having a mix of fae and human interacting on the island. There is a fascinated wariness that drives the humans interest in the different fae races, and the humans haven’t quite figured out what draws the fae to them. There are some fae that are more appreciated than others by the humans, but there is a general amount of respect for all fae to prevent slighting them and bringing about their wrath. Within the human races, cape Breton has a majority white population, but being an island near the sea port of Halifax, more diversity is coming in. Racial animosity still exists in some people, but on their island with a gate to another realm, the humans try not to alienate their fellow man.Class – 3
The most tension on the island comes from the old magic families holding power and control over the other citizens. They act as an aristocracy, and within their bloodline lies some of the first magic gained from fae/human interactions. Each family has a type of magic they specialize in, and types of fae they primarily associate with to keep their lines pure. Outside of the aristocracy, the old families discourage relationships with fae because they are worried of more powerful half-fae being born and taking their power over the island. Most people on the island have some magic, but depending on when the fae comes in on their family tree, it can only be very small gifts. This maintains a sense of awe to the old magic families who have some more powerful gifts. There are of course non-aristocrats with powerful gifts, and there is more strife between them and the old families because they don’t want to be ruled by the aristocracy.Gender – 5↑
On this small island, any gender issues or unequal treatment have been wiped away by the equal distribution of magic between genders. The magic has shown no proclivity towards a specific gender with power distribution, leaving no special treatment given by gender. The camaraderie needed between the humans and fae have also led these practices to merge. As do the small social-networks and close cooperation necessary to thrive on the island, that has eliminated the possibility of a single gender dominating the society. Half-fae offspring do not tend towards one gender, and they tend to present with more androgyny and gender fluidity as is normal for fae. Younger adults of the period are experimenting with blurred gender lines of grunge fashion. Fae are drawn to these young people expressing androgyny, helping to influence the increasing amount of fae interacting in the human realm. This is much to the dismay of the older people, especially the old magic families who want to contain the spread of magic in the island. There are also different types of fae (in addition to the ones of old), and different magic, interacting with the human realm in this time period and bringing in new types of magic and half-fae.Sexual Orientation – 2
Since the fae intermingle so closely into the human realm within the island, sexual orientation is rather grey. Fae don’t follow traditional (human) gender and sexual orientation ideas. To maintain the power of the old families, new relationships with fae are frowned upon. The old families do not want to lose their power, and since their magic is fading (or since they want to maintain their power coming from intermingling with specific fae), they don’t want just anyone having relationships with fae, bringing more powerful children into the community.Cultural Influences
Military – 5
Cape Breton Island is just north of Halifax. Halifax houses Canada’s largest military base. The Canadian Forces Base Halifax is the home of the country’s Atlantic navy, the Maritime Forces Atlantic. The canadian military and the fae-blood have a dirty past. In the 40s, the military attempted to weaponize the magic bloodlines of the islanders. They abducted people to experiment on and learn the source of their magic. They eventually realized the futility of such experiments as the magic dwindled away even as near as the naval base, due to the source of magic being on the island, and passing through the barrier lessons its influence. The Halifax base’s proximity to Cape Breton Island and the Ley Lines causes and uneasiness amongst the people of Cape Breton Island and they are constantly wary of how close they are.Religious – 2 trending
The areas around Cape Breton Island are mainly Christian, including the spread of Catholicism in Halifax. But on the island, with its mix of traditional lore, natural environment, and the magic of the fae realm closely interwoven with its human counterpart, Christianity didn’t quite fit. With culture influences from the Scottish, Irish, Indigenous (Mi'kmaq), French, Eastern European, and Italian, Cape Breton Island contains an alternate spirituality. It utilizes superstition and traditional magical/witchcraft/wiccan practices, fae ceremonies, etc. The fae are not worshipped like deities, but there is an enormous foundation of respect maintained to keep the peace. (If we have any mentions of fae like Titania and Oberon, or a different hierarchy within the fae on the island, like in the fairy gifts story that would be mentioned here). Children are taught correct practices, like how to name themselves and other fae to prevent being taken advantage of or angering the fae.Technology – 3
Though technology continues to improve, its role in the lives on Cape Breton has stagnated for some time. The personal computer has already risen to where many households own one. However, it will be several years before the tech-boom of the late 90s, and the internet of the contemporary age has not yet come to be. Nintendo recently released the Super Nintendo Entertainment System which has captivated the attention of kids and adults throughout the city. Twenty-somethings have access to better tools for making software and have been learning from library books how to write code; some have the passing interest of writing simple text games, others are far more serious and potentially even malicious.The 20th century started to give recognition to Cape Breton Island for their various scientific achievements, such as the invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell, who lives just outside of Sydney, on Cape Breton Island. Bell also created the iron lung and worked with Helen Keller on this island. Guglielmo Marconi’s inventions also began to give Cape Breton praise, for his work in Glace Bay led to the first trans-Atlantic radio message. Although these inventions occured much earlier in the century, Cape Breton’s recognition for the breakthroughs occurred years later.
Fascination with technology leaves the fae confused, as they are used to avoiding human technology and their favoritism to corrosive iron. But with steel and plastic having been in place for some time now, fae realize technology is more accessible, and are developing their own fascination with human technology. They are often mystified beyond any comprehension, but some are enthusiastic all the same.
Arts & Culture – 3↑
Music is shifting on Cape Breton Island and the rest of art seems to be following. With punk and grunge rock taking hold throughout western culture, the fae have become mystified and intrigued. The area has a history of Gaelic and Scottish music; this fascination with rock and roll is a surprise to not just the fae, but the older members of the community as well. Older record stores have jumped onto the trends, and both CDs and cassettes are flying off the shelves into the hands of the younger generations. With the Walkman and portable CD players now commonplace, music has never been more influential.Traditional instruments and songs are taught throughout the island. The fae love this music, and human culture wishes to uphold these values they share between races. Parents take pride in teaching their children instruments like the fiddle, flute, bagpipes, and more. Many kids and young adults who take music seriously have begun looking at modern instruments like the electric guitar and drum kits, and bands are cropping up to play at local bars and shops. The mixing of new rock and grunge trends with traditional melodies and instruments, and celtic rock has begun to form on this island.
Outside of music, a Celtic revival in the 1980s in Ireland made it to Cape Breton in the late 80s. Citizens experiment with the style to modernize it with the traditional decorations and aesthetics of the island. The island also values painting and embroidery, and some experiment with weaving their magic into their art.
Magic – 2
Magic on Cape Breton Island is hereditary and grows fainter away from the central lake, to the point where it does not work once you leave the island. Exposure to the land over time gives an affinity for for magic that passes on to one’s children; one can begin to feel the power around them. After several generations of exposure, people begin to manifest a simple power such as night-vision or minor telekinesis.Because of this, magic affinity is a good indicator of a family’s presence and history on the island. However, this is not always the case. When a human and fae have a child, that child’s connection to the magic of the island is unrivaled. Such a child can call upon many types of magic, ones more powerful than the natural forms humans can build up. With this fae magic, however, comes the fae hatred of iron. However, these beings are unable to pass on this level of magic to their children. The affinity of the family line dwindles fast, going back to normal levels after a couple generations, and with it their weakness to iron.
There are those on the island who would seek to gain such powerful magic for their children, whether for greed or malice, but the fae in their ever-mysterious ways can see into the hearts of such men and women, and do not allow them the opportunity for such a gift. Rather, they interact with those of more honorable intentions and stronger will. It is not often they are wrong about such things.
At the end of the day, with some form of magic all over the place, having it is not a big deal. While many islanders see the fae-born as blessed, those with such powers are not always outspoken about them. Much like someone born into riches, they don’t necessarily want to second guess whether people are around them for the power or for who they are.